Negosentro.com | 5 Tips on How to Secure Your Online Business | Do you want to run an online business? You need to treat it like you would a physical store. And that means creating a series of digital keys that keep hackers from getting in. Here’s what you can do to protect your business.
1. Consider Your Hosting Company
Whether you already have an online business or not, consider where you host your website. You should look for a host that has security features with their hosting service. Consider where they have their servers and where your website might “live” online. Ask your host or a potential host about how many security attacks they receive and how they handle them. You may have the best website host in the world, but that won’t matter if your site is vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
If your current host doesn’t do much to protect your site, consider switching to a new company. It may take some work now, but it could save your entire online business down the road.
2. Set Secure Login Information
When it comes to accessing your site for your online business, make sure your login information is secure. Avoid usernames like admin or owner. Consider making your username your first initial and last name or perhaps add a number or two. Make your password long and vary the characters with capital and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Avoid simple passwords like 1234 or password. Try to find ones that will be hard for a hacker to guess.
Your online business’s home is your website, and your login info can serve as the key. You wouldn’t want someone to break into your physical store if you had one. So give your website the same care and protection.
3. Use an SSL
The next thing you can do to secure your online business is to use an SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate. This certificate shows your visitors and search engines that your website is safe and secure. It uses encryption when customers buy your products or services online. The protection can also help when someone browses your website. Many hosts let you easily install an SSL certificate right from your dashboard, so you don’t have to download anything.
To make the most of your SSL, consider SSL decryption, which can eliminate blind spots from the certificate. Sometimes, an SSL can blind application monitoring and network security tools. While you don’t want too much decryption, some can open up those blind spots. Then, you can make sure you have the most secure site possible.
4. Update Your Website
Another excellent way to protect your online business is to update your site regularly. Any time your website platform or host has updates, take advantage of them. Some updates are small and may seem unnecessary. But other website updates can patch security issues and help reduce the chances of someone hacking your website. In some cases, a website platform, like WordPress, may stop supporting older versions after a while.
If that happens to you, it can make it even easier for hackers to get into your site. And when that happens, they can take control of your business.
5. Back Up Your Digital Content
Before you update your website, back up the content on it. While many updates go smoothly, you need a copy to revert to if something goes wrong. You should also back up any content you use to promote your business on social media or through emails. If you have to work from a different device or you lose your internet connection, you don’t want to have to start from nothing.
Copy all of your business documents and other information to the cloud and multiple devices or hard drives. That way, you can always access at least one copy. If you need to edit something, you can sync the changes to the different copies to keep everything up to date.
Running an online business is an excellent option for many people. But it can make your business vulnerable to attacks. Keep these things in mind when securing your online business.
